My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the 8th of June, Our Holy Orthodox Church
celebrates HOLY PENTECOST – THE DESCENT
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE APOSTLES.
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of Pentecost. Plagal o Fourth Tone
BLESSED art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast shown forth the
fishermen as supremely wise by sending down upon them the
Holy Spirit, and through them didst draw the world into The net.
O Befriender of man, glory to Thee.
Kontakion Hymn of the Feast. Plagal of Fourth Tone
ONCE, when He descended and confounded the tongues, the Most
High divided the nations; and when He divided the tongues of fire,
He called all men into unity; and with one accord we glorify the All-
Holy Spirit.
After the Savior’s Holy Ascension into the Heavens, the Eleven Apostles and the rest of His Disciples, the God-loving women who followed after Him from the beginning, His Mother, hte Most Holy Virgin Mary, and His brethren–all together about 120 souls-returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem. Entering into the house where they gathered, they went into the Upper Room, and there they persevered in prayer and supplication, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, as their Divine Teacher had promised them. In the meanwhile, they chose Mathias, who was elected to take the place of Judas Isacariot among the Apostles.
Thus, on this day, the Seventh Sunday of All-Holy Pascha, the tenth day after the Holy Ascension and THE FIFTIETH DAY AFTER PASCHA, at the Third Hour of the day from the rising of the sun, there suddenly came a sound from Heaven, as wehn a mighty wind blows, and it filled the whole house where the Holy Apostles and the rest with them were gathered. Immediately after the sound, there appeared TONGUES OF FIRE THAT DIVIDED AND RESTED UPON THE HEAD OF EACH ONE. FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, ALL THOSE PRESENT BEGAN SPEAKING NOT IN THEIR TONGUE, BUT IN OTHER TONGUES AND DIALECTS, AS THE HOLY SPIRIT INSTRUCTED THEM.
"And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And wehn this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them SPEAK IN HIS OWN LANGUAGE. Then they were all amazed and marvelled, saying to one another, "LOOK, ARE NOT ALL THESE WHO SPEAK GALILEANS? AND HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR, EACH IN OWN LANGUAGE IN WHICH WE WERE BORN? Parthians and Medes and Elemites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia…" [Acts 2:5-9]. "So they were amazed, and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’ Others mocking said, ‘They are full of new wine.’ But Peter, standing up with the Eleven, raised his voice and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed by words. For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But his is what was spoken by the Prophet Joel [Joel 2:28]: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams…That whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved" [Acts 2:12-21].
And Peter preached Jesus of Nazareth unto them, proving in many ways that He is the Christ the Lord, Whom the Jews crucified but God raised from the dead. On hearing Peter’s teaching, many were smitten with compunction and received the word. Thus, THEY WERE BAPTIZED, and on that day THREE THOUSAND SOULS WERE ADDED TO THE Faith of Christ.
Such, therefore, are the reasons for the current’s feast: THE COMING OF THE ALL-HOLY SPIRIT INTO THE WORLD, THE COMPLETION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST’S PROMISE, AND THE FULFILLMENT OF THE HOPE OF THE SACRED DISCIPLES, WHICH WE CELEBRATE ON THIS DAY. This is THE FINAL FEAST OF THE GREAT MYSTERY AND DISPENSATION OF GOD’S INCARNATION. On this LAST and GREAT, and SAVING DAY OF PENTECOST, the Holy Apostles of the Savior, who were UNLEARNED FISHERMEN, made WISE NOW of a sudden by the Holy Spirit, clearly with Divine Authority spoke the HEAVENLY DOCTRINES. They became HAROLDS OF THE TRUTH AND TEACHERS OF THE WHOLE WORLD. On this day THEY WERE ORDAINED and began their Apostleship, of which THE SALVATION OF THOSE THREE THOUSAND SOULS IN ONE DAY WAS THE COMELY AND MARVELOUS FIRST FRUIT.
Some erroneously hold that Pentecost is the "BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH." But this IS NOT TRUE, for the Teaching of the Holy Fathers is THAT THE CHURCH EXISTED BEFORE ALL OTHER THINGS. In the second vision of The Shepherd of Hermas we read: "Now brethren, a revelation was made unto me in my sleep by a youth of exceeding fair form, who said to me, ‘Whom thinkest thou the aged woman, from whom thou receivedst the book, to be? I say, ‘The Sybil.’ ‘Thou art wrong.’ saith he, ‘she is not.’ ‘Who then is he?’ I say. ‘The CHURCH,’ saith he. I said unto him, ‘Wherefore then is the aged?’ ‘Because, saith he, ‘SHE WAS CREATED BEFORE ALL THINGS; THEREFORE IS THE AGED, AND FOR HER SAKE THE WORLD WAS FRAMED." Saint Gregory the Theologian also speaks of "The Church of Christ… BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER CHRIST." Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus writes, "The Catholic Church, which EXISTS FROM THE AGES, IS REVEALED MOST CLEARLY IN THE INCARNATE ADVENT OF CHRIST." Saint John Damascene observes, "The Holy Catholic Church of God, therefore, IS THE ASSEMBLY OF THE HOLY FATHERS, PATRIARCHS, PROPHETS, APOSTLES, EVANGELISTS, AND MARTYRS WHO HAVE BEEN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, TO WHOM WERE ADDED ALL THE NATIONS WHO BELIEVED WITH ONE ACCORD." According to Saint Gregory the Theologian, "The Prophets ESTABLISHED THE CHURCH, the Apostles CONJOINED IT, and the Evangelists SET IT IN ORDER." The Church EXISTED FROM THE CREATION OF THE ANGELS, FOR THE ANGELS CAME INTO EXISTENCE BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, AND THEY HAVE ALWAY BEEN MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome, says in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, THE CHURCH "WAS CREATED BEFORE THE SUN AND MOON"; and a little further on, "The Church EXISTED NOT NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT HATH BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING." (2 Corinthians 14).
That which came to pass at Pentecost, then, WAS THE ORDINATION OF THE HOLY APOSTLES, THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE APOSTOLIC PREACHING TO THE NATIONS, AND THE INAUGURATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE NEW ISRAEL. Saint Cyril of Alexandria says that "Our Lord Jesus Christ herein ORDAINED THE INSTRUCTORS AND TEACHERS OF THE WORLD AND THE STEWARDS OF HIS DIVINE MYSTERIES…SHOWING TOGETHER WITH THE DIGNITY OF APOSTLESHIP, THE INCOMPARABLE GLORY OF THE AUTHORITY GIVEN THEM…REVEALING THEM TO BE SPLENDID WITH THE GREAT GREAT DIGNITY OF THE APOSTLESHIP AND SHOWING THEM FORTH AS BOTH STEWARDS AND PRIESTS OF THE DIVINE ALTARS…THEY BECAME FIT TO INITIATE OTHERS THROUGH THE ENLIGHTENING GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." Saint Gregory Palamas says, "Now therefore…the Holy Spirit descended…showing the Disciples to be supernal luminaries…and the distributed grace of the Divine Spirit came through THE ORDINATION OF THE APOSTLES UPON THEIR SUCCESSORS." And Saint Sophronius, Bishop of Jerusalem, writes, "After the VISITATION OF THE COMFORTER, the Apostles became high priests." Therefore, together with THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH CAME UPON THEM WHO WERE PRESENT IN THE UPPER CHAMBER, WHICH THE LORD HAD FORETOLD AS RECORDED IN THE ACTS, "YE SHALL BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT NOT MANY DAYS HENCE" (Acts 1:5), The Apostles WERE APPOINTED AND RAISED TO THE HIGH PRIESTLY RANK, according to Saint John Chrysostom. On THIS DAY COMMENCED THE CELEBRATION OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST BY WHICH WE BECOME "PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NAME" (2 Peter 1:4). For before Pentecost, it is said of the Apostles and disciples only that THEY ABODE IN "PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION" (Acts 1:14); IT IS ONLY AFTER THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT THEY PERSEVERED IN THE "BREAKING OF BREAD," ..THAT IS, THE COMMUNION OF THE HOLY MYSTERIES—"AND IN PRAYER" (Acts 2:42).
The Feast of Holy Pentecost, therefore, DETERMINED THE BEGINNING OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF GRACE, AND NOT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH. Henceforth, the Holy Apostles proclaimed the GOOD TIDINGS (NEWS) "IN COUNTRY AND TOWN," PREACHING AND BAPTIZING AND APPOINTING, SHEPHERDS, IMPARTING THE PRIESTHOOD TO THEM WHOM THEY JUDGED WERE WORTHY TO MINISTER, As Saint Clement writes in his First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 4:2). (Resources: The Great Horologion)
(To be continued)
________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 